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RivalSport F.C.
(as Scorpio FC) | dissolved = | ground = RSE Stadium | capacity = 8,000 | owner = Ruff Sports & Entertainment, Inc. | chairman = Brian Ruff | manager = Moritz Caspers | coach = | currentleague = League A | currentposition = | lastseason = | lastleague = League B | lastposition = 4th (promoted via playoffs) | current = | website = | firstgame = | largestwin = | worstdefeat = | topscorer = | fansgroup = | honours = | American = }} RivalSport Football Club, sometimes (although not officially) referred to as RivalSport Warner Bay, is a professional association football club based in Warner Bay, the capital of St. Gregory. The team competes in League A, the top tier in the St. Gregory Football Association, after earning promotion through the 2017 playoffs. The club was founded in 1999 as Scorpio FC, after the original members chose a scorpion as their club mascot and chose to name the club after the corresponding zodiac sign. They originally played as an amateur club and turned professional in 2007, being placed in League C for the 2007-08 season. On June 19, 2015, Texan businessman Brian Ruff purchased the club and announced the name would be changed to RivalSport F.C., after the RivalSport sportswear company founded and owned by Ruff. RivalSport, through its RS Teamwear brand, will also supply the team uniforms. History In their first competitive match following the re-brand, on September 25, 2015, the team defeated Clifftown Hawks 2-0 at RSE Stadium in the First Round of the 2015-16 SGFA Cup. Six days later, on October 2, they opened the 2015-16 League C season with a 2-1 away victory at Centreville Old Boys. Devon Blight scored the first league goal for the club under their new identity. The team went undefeated the first 12 matches of the season before losing 3-2 at home to Armed Forces on January 12, 2016, and scored in each of their first 13 league matches until being held to a 0-0 draw at Carlisle on January 17. RivalSport also reached the Third Round of the SGFA Cup, the first time in their history they had achieved that feat, with a 3-0 upset over League B side Otway Town on November 15, 2015. They were defeated 2-1 by Bonneville Juniors in the Third Round on December 13. On April 10, 2016, RivalSport defeated Barbarians 3-0, in doing so clinching the League C championship and the first-ever promotion in club history. The following season, the team started out going unbeaten the first five games of the season, winning four of those, before eventually finishing the league in 4th place and earning a berth in the promotion playoffs. There, they defeated Winston Beach 2-1 in the first leg at RSE Stadium and held Beach to a 3-3 draw in the second leg at Rainbow Stadium for a 5-4 aggregate victory and a berth in the final against Little Rouge on May 24. After a 1-1 draw in normal time, RivalSport won 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out to earn their first-ever promotion to League A and in doing so, become the first team in 21 years to win promotion in back-to-back seasons. Stadium The team play their home matches at RSE Stadium in Warner Bay, a ground they share with other amateur and professional clubs. The club are known for their extensive use of pyrotechnics (including flames and/or fireworks when the team takes the field at the beginning of the match, scores a goal or wins) and other forms of entertainment. The song "Party Hard" by Andrew W.K. is played when the team scores a goal. Although the club's owners, Ruff Sports & Entertainment, currently hold naming rights to RSE Stadium, club president Brian Ruff has said he would welcome a move to the larger Bay Stadium, located in the city's downtown, in the future. Colors, crest and nickname From the club's foundation in 1999 until 2015, the team played in black and red kits, usually striped although the kits were predominantly black between 2013 and 2015. Upon the sale of the club to RSE, the club colors changed slightly, to scarlet and gray, after new owner Brian Ruff's alma mater, Ohio State University. A black and scarlet third kit was introduced for the team's first season under the new ownership, 2015-16, to pay homage to the original identity. The team is nicknamed the Scorpions, after their original club name, Scorpio FC. The nickname was retained despite the name of the club changing. The crest, redesigned in 2015, features a modernized scorpion, as well as a five-pointed star to represent the state of Texas, where the club ownership is based. Kits The team's uniforms are supplied by RS Teamwear, who took over as part of the sale of the club in 2015. The shirt sponsor as of 2017 is Mattress Firm, marking the first time since the re-brand that the shirts have been sponsored by a company other than RivalSport's in-house sponsorship. On June 7, 2017, the club unveiled a new home, away and third kit for the 2017-18 season, the team's first in League A. The new bespoke design, called Scorpio after the club's former name, features a scarlet and gray home kit, with an away kit in white and "Luv Ya" blue, an homage to owner Brian Ruff's hometown of Houston, Texas. Players Current squad : As of August 10, 2017 Note: Players without a flag are from St. Gregory. Players with an asterisk (*) are from outside the United States or its territories, or have represented a non-U.S. territory at international level, but hold either citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S. and thus do not count towards the league cap on foreign players. Out on loan Former players :Further information: Category:RivalSport F.C. players Warner Bay Scarlets :Main article: Warner Bay Scarlets W.F.C. In December 2015, Ruff Sports & Entertainment announced they would also be fielding a team in the inaugural Women's League A season, beginning in 2016. The club, called Warner Bay Scarlets W.F.C. after the team colors they share with RivalSport, will also play home games at RSE Stadium. Honors * League C: 1 :2015-16 Category:Club pages Category:RivalSport F.C.